Leslie Never Dies: An Alternate Ending
by MaxCullen-Whitlock
Summary: What I would rather have happen at the end. Leslie survives and they realize what they mean to each other in the magic of Terabithia.
1. 11 No!

**AN: Obviously, according to the title, Leslie never dies. This chapter starts of with Chapter 11 of Bridge to Terabithia: No!. Most of it (the recognizable parts) was written by Katherine Patterson. I just made a few changes.**

Something whirled around inside Jess's head. He opened his mouth, but it was dry and no words came out. He jerked his head from one face to the next for someone to help him.

Finally his father spoke, his big rough hand stroking his wife's hair and his eyes downcast watching the motion. "They found the Burke girl this morning down in the creek. She's in a coma and it's virtually impossible that she'll ever wake up."

"No," he said, finding his voice, "Leslie wouldn't drown or anything. She can swim real good."

"That old rope you kids have been swinging on broke." His father went quietly and relentlessly on. "They think she musta hit her head on something when she fell."

"No," he shook his head. "No."

His father looked up, "I'm real sorry, boy."

"No!" Jess was yelling now. "I don't believe you. You're lying to me!" He looked around wildly for someone to agree. But they all had their heads down except May Belle, whose eyes were wide with terror. _But, Leslie, what if you die?_

"No," he said straight at May Belle. "It's a lie. Leslie can't be dying." He turned and ran out the door, letting the screen bang sharply against the house. He ran, trying to run faster and faster, until he would cease to be mortal and earthbound, until he would fly. Then his spirit would join Leslie's in a place beyond death, beyond hardships and loss, in Terabithia. Then they would be together, and Leslie would not be dead. Ever. But as he blindly ran on, he felt himself tripping over stones and his own feet and anything else in his path. He stumbled on, somehow knowing that if he ran enough, he would reach a place were Leslie Burke was still alive and well, not lying in a hospital in Arlington, slowing drawing her last tortured breath.

The rest is the same until Jess finishes eating breakfast the next morning.

"Your mother and I thought we should go down to the neighbors and pay respects." His father cleared his throat. "I think it would be fitting for you to come too." He stopped again. "Seeing as you're the only one that really knowed the little girl."

Jess couldn't comprehend what his father as saying to him. He felt so stupid. Why did he feel so strange? "What little girl?" He mumbled it, knowing it was the wrong thing to ask, but what could he do? He didn't know any little girls other than May Belle and Joyce Ann, and why would his parents have to go to the neighbors' to pay their respects for them, especially since they weren't dead?

His father leaned down to the table and put his big hand on top of Jess's. He gave his wife a quick troubled look. But she just stood there, eyes full of pain, saying nothing. Ellie and Brenda looked at him in disbelief.

"Your friend Leslie is about to die, Jesse. She's gotten worse. She won't survive. You need to understand that." Jess got up from the table. He went into his room, returning with a windbreaker on. "I know it ain't easy-" His father's voice broke. "You ready to go now?"

**AN: This chapter is not really like the ones that I usually write, but the next one will be. It'll be longer and won't be exactly like the original with a few changes. It will be mostly me.**


	2. 12 Cremated

**AN: Heyo. This chapter is during chapter 12 of Bridge to Terabithia but has a different name because I wanted to make it more original. I don't own any of the characters, plot, setting, etc. I revised it because I forgot to include some important stuff that I thought I put in. Thanks to MadTom for spotting my exclusions.**

They slowly walked across their muddy field to the old Perkins' place, where many out-of-state cars were parked. As they approached, the door opened to reveal a strange man and an excited Prince Terrien. The man smiled sadly. "You must be the Aarons family. I see that the dog knows you. I've heard what a wonderful friend you were. Come in." He showed them into the golden room, living up to its name in the brilliant sunlight. Several strangers were clustered around, crying.

An old woman came up to Jesse. "I'm Les... Leslie's grandmother. Thank you for being so important to her." But it wasn't me, Jess wanted to say. It was all her. She was the special one; the one who made me her king. I did nothing.

Then Bill walked over to him. "If... if it wasn't for you..." He couldn't continue. "I just wanted to thank you for making her last year of life worth living. You were such a wonderful friend to her." And with that he threw his arms around Jess, sobbing. He sounded so much sadder than any grown-up had right to that, if it had not been under such sad circumstances, Jess would have laughed. As it was, he merely felt uncomfortable with the button pressing into his forehead and the hot tears dripping on his back. When he was released from the embrace, Jess stepped back and looked at the room, at the adults crying their hearts out.

He thought about what Leslie would say if she could see them. _Stop crying, _she'd say. _How'd you like it if you were dead, and everyone was crying and making a fuss? The dead want peace. Everyone crying over them isn't any fun at all. And you're all crying for yourselves anyway. You're crying for your own loss. What about _my_ loss? I lost my _life_! All you lost was one family member. You have more. Me, and all the other dead souls, we've only got one life, and we don't get another._ She'd probably be mad at them, and say that they didn't care about her, else why'd they make her come to Lark Creek? If she had stayed in Arlington, she'd've lived. Jess was mad about that. They'd made this year the last of her life. Through the haze of his thoughts, Jess heard his father ask Bill a question.

"What's the situation?" said his gruff voice.

"Worse. The doctor called right before you came. She'll be dead with in the hour."

"Isn't there anything they can do? They _are_ qualified doctors. What else are they paid for? Surely they can save her."

Bill shook his head. "She's in too bad of a condition for them to do anything. We've already made arrangements for the cremation." Cremation! They couldn't cremate her. Then he would never see her again. She should be buried nice and proper in the jumper she had worn to church for Easter. That's what he would do, and he was the only one who really cared about her. He never would've made her move to Lark Creek if she didn't want to. Now that she was dead, he should decide what happened to her.

"Can Jesse visit her? I think he wants to see her again real bad."

"No. She's in too bad a way. You'd never make it in time. Besides, they wouldn't even let us stay. If they'd let us, we'd be at her bedside right now. All of her relatives came all the way from Pennsylvania to see her one last time. But the doctors wouldn't allow it."

As they left, Jess thought, Leslie abandoned me. She had to go and die on me. And now she'd be- wait, where would she be? All of his worries about heaven and Hell came back to him in a rush of emotion. He was so caught up in his whirlwind of thoughts that he didn't even realize that he'd reached his door. "Do you want to come inside?" His father held open the door for him, and Jesse shot up to his room, returning in an instant with the paints and paper Leslie had given him. He'd never used them. Shaking off his mother's gentle questions, he ran to the creek and the broken rope hanging off of the crabapple tree.

In a scream of grief and anger at Leslie for leaving and hurting him like that, he threw his gifts into the current and watched them float away. He yelled after them, "I hate you! I wish I never met you. Why'd you have to die on me?"

"That was stupid," commented his father, who had followed him, unseen. Jess collapsed in his arms.

"I don't really hate her, but I'm so angry that she died." Jesse tried to unsuccessfully to swallow the tears that were forming in his throat.

"It's all right, son. Go ahead and cry. It's nothing to be ashamed of when your best friend dies." Jesse succumbed and allowed himself to be half-carried back to his house. While they were going, his father said, "It's like hell, isn't it?" Like he would to a man. But it reminded Jess of something.

"Do you think that people really go to hell? Like, if they don't believe in the Bible."

"Don't you be worried about Leslie. God ain't going to damn a little girl to hell." Jess never thought of Leslie as a little girl, but he supposed that to God's perspective, she was. After all, she was only ten. Too young to die, much less go to hell.

Jesse went right to bed after that, to try to escape the sorrows of reality. Bill and Judy had gone to Arlington to get Leslie's body. They would cremate her and bring the ashes back to Pennsylvania, where their family lived. The last thing Jesse heard as he fell asleep was the Burkes' Italian car pulling into the gravel driveway.

**AN: How do you like it? Pls pls pls review. Some of that was Katherine Paterson but most was all me. Reviews are like Jesse to Leslie and Prince Terrien to Terabithia. So review!**


	3. 13 Leslie

**AN: This is addressing some comments had by a reviewer. For more info, see my Profile, but the basic version is he thinks I should write more original stuff and less from the book, and some other things. I have my reasons for that (See Profile) and this chapter is completely MINE except the characters and setting. NONE of it happened in B2T. As for the part that I used from the book, I'm sorry. Four words: laziness and writer's block. **

Jesse woke up the next morning with a bad taste in his mouth, a cold mass in his stomach, a dark hole in his heart. As he was able to remember more of what had happened, a cloud of sorrow descended on his shoulders like a heavy burden. _Leslie._

His life fell slowly back into its normal rhythms; wake up, milk Miss Bessie, go to school, where everyone treated him with respect and care, come home on the bus, do homework, milk Miss Bessie, eat a little bit of dinner, go to bed, spend a restless night. Lather, rinse, repeat. The Burkes moved away, though Jess didn't know or care where. His parents didn't even know, because they hadn't told anyone what they were doing. Jesse didn't care. All he registered was the fact that the old Perkins place was empty, another piece dropped out of his life. _Leslie._

It was during one of the rare occasions that he thought about her that he had an inspiration. Without his paints, he relied solely on pencil to sketch his idea. His drawing showed a noble queen, looking out over her enchanted kingdom, a faraway, dreamy look on her face. She had short, brown hair, tossed by the wind under a crown of gold. Everyone knew who the subject of his work was, even his father, who didn't care that his only son liked drawing anymore. _Leslie._

He worked in a passion, in a haze of fantasy. Reality was passed by as if it was unimportant. Life had one more short, temporary meaning. Jess could never recall what happened in those days, only that he wanted to draw more than ever. He worked at it during school, and no teacher ever complained, only looked at him with tears in eyes and looks of sorrow and concern on faces. But Jess never noticed. _Leslie._

At last, one day, he was finished. With his task accomplished, Jess had nothing else to keep living for. An irremovable shadow had been cast over his heart, his soul, his life. His desire to see her became a tangible urge. Every ounce of his concentration was dedicated to his longing as his emotions swirled around him in a miasma of pain and suffering. He _needed_ her. _Leslie._

Soon, he decided on a course of action. Living had become unbearable, so he wouldn't continue. He would join Leslie instead. He worried momentarily how it would effect his family, and brushed it aside. It would be like what he himself was feeling. But they were strong, they had each other, they'd survive. Still, he hated thinking about how much pain it would put them through. But it was the only way to end his torture. _Leslie._

It was a Sunday morning, bright and blue. The birds were chirping, the flowers in bloom, dew fresh on the grass. The recent rain, the second rainstorm that spring, the first being the one that he couldn't think about without tears, had left gardens and crops growing plentifully. Everything was a beautiful tapestry of color. Except Jess's life. _Leslie._

The creek was high, the highest Jess had ever seen it. He stared at the swirling water, at the vortex of rushing power. It held him spellbound, until he reminded himself why he was there. Only a single sob escaped him as he remembered the note he had left for his parents. _Sorry_, it read, _I love you, but I needed to do this. My life was horrible, and this was the only escape. Tell May Belle I love her. And I'm really really sorry. Goodbye, Jess._ By the time they read it, it would be too late for them to stop him. He'd be gone. _Leslie._

He broke the spell that held him hypnotized and swallowed back his fear. He was afraid. In spite of the reasons he knew he was doing it, his heart still raced in terror. Jess's breath came in gasps and he found his throat dry. He could already feel himself drowning, like he had during Leslie's composition. He could already see himself being sucked under into the deep dark abyss. But he had to. _Leslie._

Jess reached up and clutched the rope with his clammy fingers. He pulled himself up, and swung. When he was over the swollen river, he forced himself to pry his fingers off of his lifeline and let go. The first sensation he noticed was the bitter cold. Although the air was mild, the water felt icy. The next thing was the darkness. He didn't have much time to comprehend his situation, because the currant began pulling him along. He flailed his limbs instinctively, trying to stay afloat, but soon gave in and got sucked under. He was still scared, but it was too late to get out now. He was trapped drowning in the creek whether he liked it or not. And he still felt in his heart that it was the right thing to do. _Leslie._

He couldn't hold his breath anymore, and he couldn't breathe either. His struggles for air became fainter and fainter, until at last the darkness claimed him. His last thought before succumbing was wondering what Leslie had felt like as this happened to her, before realizing that she had hit her head on a rock, and therefore wouldn't have experienced what he was. Something else to tell her when we get to heaven... _Leslie._

_Leslie._

**AN: I hope that my portrayal of Jesse was kinda realistic. I wrote like that to show how he doesn't notice time passing or detail anymore, and that the only thing he focuses on is Leslie. That was all original and you should review. Reviews and fanfiction is like Romeo and Juliet. One can't live without the other.**


	4. 14 Beautiful

**AN: My favorite chapter. I wanted to comment on a review by Selena Bartowski. "T****he story was well written, but that was so stupid. Jess would never kill himself,that was the whole point of the book. She set him free to live his life. It wasn't Romeo and Juliet, it was Titanic." She set him free? Which part of the book was that in because obviously I missed it? What was she setting him free **_**from**_**? I'm just not seeing it. And also, I never said that the last chapter was like Romeo and Juliet; I said that reviews and fanfics can't live apart from each other, like how both Romeo and Juliet chose to commit suicide rather than outlive their lover. (I have read Romeo and Juliet, I have not watched Titanic. I wasn't comparing that chapter to the plots of either. I thought that that would be self-explanatory, but apparently some people do not understand my analogies. Ah well.)**

As the cold and darkness were winning the battle between life and death, an arm wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him up. _No, why are you doing that? This is what I want_, Jesse wanted to say to whoever it was. With a wet thump, he landed on the sun-warmed grass. A damp curtain of hair brushed his face and a pair of lips touched his cheek. The grass waved in a faint breeze and he shivered, despite the bright sun that was smiling down on him. He tried to sit up to see who had rescued him, but he was too weak. He was dizzy. He couldn't focus on the scene that seemed to swirl around him. What was going on?

The next thing he knew, he was wrapped in a blanket, wearing only a large baggy sweater that came to his knees over his underwear. "Son, are you alive? Speak to me." The low, urgent voice sounded close to his ear. He tried to tell them that he would never be fine, that they should've let him die, but the most he could manage was an anguished groan.

"Sit him up and give the boy something to drink," suggested a voice that sounded very faraway, gentle and concerned. Strong hands lifted him to an upright position. He blinked, taking in the faces of his family, gathered around him in a circle. His father, worried and slightly angry. His mother, scared and relieved, somehow at the same time. Ellie, dandy and important because she was helping Mama with his bandages and her cooking. Brenda, with her signature pout at being ignored slightly marred by concern for her brother. Only slightly. May Belle, frightened about what had happened and yet full of love and joy at his recovery. Joyce Ann, not understanding what was going on, looking to her parents for an explanation, but they offered none. And wait, in the background, was that...?

It was. It was the young couple Jesse had not seen since their daughter's death. Bill was radiating pure joy, and Judy was wearing a mischievous grin, though her eyes begged forgiveness. For what, he wasn't sure. He couldn't fathom the Burkes' strange expressions. What did they have to be so happy about? Their daughter was dead. Was he the only one cared? Or was that all just a bad dream from which he was waking up? Then he saw.

In the corner of the room, horror struck, wearing dripping sweatpants and a towel draped over her shoulders, was Leslie. "Leslie!" he sobbed. "But you...you fell. In the creek. You, you d...died. How... what happened?" She threw her arms around him and let him lean his head on her shoulder. She stroked his hair, fingers trembling.

"Oh, Jesse. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be sorry, dear. It's not your fault. It was ours. Maybe if we had been better parents, none of this would have happened. We shouldn't have made you move."

"Bill, please. It's not your fault. I wanted to come. I was the one who fell in the creek, remember?"

"But I jumped in," protested Jesse guiltily. "Don't blame yourself."

"I'm so sorry we didn't tell you that she woke up, but the doctors kept us in the dark until it happened so that they didn't get our hopes up, only to smash them again. We had to go to a special children's hospital in New York City, and one of the first things she said was that she wanted to come back here. As soon as they let her leave, we came," apologized Judy. "Please forgive us."

His dad looked like he wanted to argue, but his mom butted in. "There's nothing to apologize for. You did nothing we wouldn't have done if it was our child lying there as if dead."

"Oh, Leslie," he murmured. "I've missed you so much."

"Me, too. I dreamed about you, about us, about Terabithia. But mostly you." She said the words so quietly that no one except Jess, whose ear was pressed against her chin, could hear.

"Who saved me?"

"I did," she said simply, but her parents pressed her to go on. "When we pulled up to your house, your folks were rushing outside, holding that note you wrote. When they told me what happened, I had to do something. They tried to stop me, 'You're weak, you need rest', that kind of thing. They split up to look for you, and I had an idea that you would be at the creek, trying to join me in the same way that you thought I had died. And so I saved you."

"Beautiful Leslie," he sighed. "So much braver than I."

"Jess," she reproached, her tone teasing, "Look at me." And he did. She was still beautiful to him. Her reddish-brown hair had grown during their long time apart so that it now reached her shoulders. Her eyes were large against her thin, pale face. She was slender, thin, frail. But still and always graceful. Her movements were smooth and perfect, like a wildcat stalking its prey. And when she smiled at him, her face lit up and made him feel full of contentment. The shadow of depression lifted, the bitter taste washed away by the sweet taste of love, the coldness in his gut displaced by warm happiness, the hole in his heart mended so perfectly it had not even left a mark, evil enemies vanquished from the golden kingdom, leaving the lovely queen and her admiring king better than before. She had returned, glorious and triumphant. Some one cleared their throat behind him and the older girls whistled and jeered.

"Perhaps we'll leave you two alone for a little. After all, we live next door again." That was Judy. Leslie was so lucky, thought Jesse, to have the nicest mom on the world. But no, he decided. She wasn't lucky; she deserved it.

**AN: Ah, how sweet! Please review. Reviews are an integral part of the success of a fanfic like flutes are an integral part of an orchestra. I'm not biased, I only play the flute! And I'm going to try this one more time: As Romeo and Juliet could not live without each other, fanfictions cannot live without reviews. Got it, Selena Bartowski? (and anyone like her)**


	5. 15 Building the Bridge

This was impossible; he was dreaming. But it was a good dream, he argued. I don't want to wake up. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "So, what do you wanna talk about?"

"Anything you want. But first, I have a better idea. Let's visit Terabithia. We haven't been there in so long. C'mon, it'll be so much fun. Don't you want to be my king again?" And although Jesse wasn't sure if his parents would ever let him out of the house again without them, he let Leslie persuade him, and to his amazement, his parents said yes.

"Take care of him, Miss Burke," his father had said gruffly.

"Be a good boy, and take care of her," his mother added. So they were free, and ran across the cow field to Terabithia with the air of ones who had just been released from prison. But when they reached the stream, Jess's heart leaped into his mouth. The water was nearly as high as it had been that morning. Leslie looked at him, awestruck.

"You jumped into that?! Wow. I would've been afraid just swinging over it." He was silent; he didn't want to talk about it, and Leslie didn't want to pry. She continued, "So, I brought you here because I have an idea. I thought of it right after I woke up, when I found out what had happened to me. We should build a bridge that we won't fall off of, and goes above where the water comes up to when it floods. So that something like this never happens again. We might not be so lucky to survive next time." He nodded. It was a good idea.

"But the creek bed's very muddy and unstable. We won't be able to build anything."

"Let's start building a little bit back from the top of the bank, right here. That way it won't get washed away or collapse. Do your folks have any old lumber?"

"Maybe. We can ask." When they returned to the creek, it was an hour and several searches later. At least they had the wood. And the hammer and nails. Bill even lent them a saw.

"Okay," said Leslie, surveying the area. "We'll start here." She pointed to a spot with her foot. "Arise, o king, and let us begin work on our mighty bridge to Terabithia." She directed the project, but did an equal share of the labor. They drove a board into the ground, anchored it with stones, and nailed another piece to it that lay flat. From there, they continued out to the edge of the water, pushing shorter pieces into the ground, securing them with stones, and nailing longer boards parallel to the ground on top. Where two longer boards met, they were connected underneath by another even smaller board nailed to both of them. Proud though they were of their work, and eager to continue it, the bridge's completion would have to wait until the water went down. All they could do was the part on land on the field-side of the creek, and once that was done, they could only wait.

So they did other things. Leslie told stories and gave Jesse paper and paints to illustrate them with. They practiced talking like royalty, and learned about real kings and queens from medieval Europe. They ran, and Leslie beat Jess every time. They spent time with Jesse's parents, now that they weren't so against Leslie, mostly talking about their childhoods. They helped May Belle play with her dolls, and told her stories and showed her Jesse's paintings. They tried to make costumes that kings and queens would've worn, and were pretty successful, mostly because of Judy, who was surprisingly good at sewing and didn't ask any questions. Finally, one day, Leslie ran to Jess's room, out of breath, eyes sparkling with excitement. The creek had gone down. They could build the bridge.

Leslie tied a rope that they'd borrowed from Jess's dad around her waist and waded across with Jess holding the other side. The water came up to her waist, but they weren't taking any chances. He passed over the supplies so that she could repeat the process that they'd used on that side. Once that was done, he threw over the rope that was tied around her, and she tied it to the base of the bridge. He did the same with the second rope, tying it around himself and the bridge. Together, they slipped into the cool water. It was much more relaxing then they had expected. There was nothing dangerous or frightening about it. But that wouldn't make them untie the rope. Neither of them would ever feel perfectly safe in moving water again. They completed the part of the bridge that passed over the stream, and it was above both of their heads. "Lord! That was some flood. I didn't realize how high it was exactly until now," exclaimed Jesse. He pointed to the pile of thick branches with no bark that lay unused on the bank. "What're those for?"

"The railings. Did you think we were going to risk losing our balance and falling in?" Oh. That made sense. Then again, Leslie usually did. The ones that came up to about Jesse's chest were nailed, pointing upwards, to the side of the bridge, and the other ones were attached to the tops of those, so that no one would fall off.

"Who-" he started to ask.

"Bill. I told him what we were doing, not about Terabithia of course, so you can stop looking at me like that, and he offered to take the bark off of some fallen branches for us to make railings. He doesn't want anyone falling off and drowning either. It looks perfect." And Jess agreed with her. It was perfect, and he'd never have to worry about losing her to the currants again. "Wanna try it out?" she asked teasingly, taking his hand. They walked across, cautiously, but underneath it all they were excited. They were going to Terabithia again!

Moss had retaken the castle stronghold, and everything felt strange, with the neglected air that houses get after their occupants move away. But Leslie would not allow him to dwell on that. "In our days in the kingdom of Death, our fairest land hath fallen into disorder and chaos. The people anxiously await the return of their queen and king, and of course their royal jester, who shalt be returning on our next voyage. Come, we must show ourselves to them." She tugged his arm and began bowing to an invisible crowd. "Tis good to be back amongst you, my people, in our noble kingdom of Terabithia. We faced many hardships to return here, and ask that ye accept us once again as thy sovereign rulers." She bowed again and poked Jesse in the ribs. "Speak, o mighty king."

"Uh, yeah. O people of Terabithia, we your king and queen have never forgotten you, nor abandoned you of our own free will. We shalt worketh hard to earn back the peace and prosperity we once embraced." Saying these words, Jess could almost see the people in front of him, cheering for their king and queen. He felt like a true king, and Leslie looked and sounded like a true queen. "We are home," he murmured to her. She nodded, struck by the truth in his words. They were home at last.


	6. 16Moonlight Magic

**AN: I'm going to thank all of my reviewers and apologize for the long wait. Thank you: MadTom for your concrit, G-Matt for sticking with it, walters1 for telling the truth (better with original stuff), Len-the-Hen for understanding that fanfic is just a story and doesn't have to be what "would happen", and blueswan7 for sticking up for me against insane flamers and for being a Twilighter capable of recognizing that Twilight just ain't good literature.**

The phone rang, jolted Jesse out of his memories. That afternoon had been perfect. "Jess-ee!" yelled Ellie from the kitchen. "Phone call for _you_." She said it as if she couldn't believe that anyone would want to talk to him. He shot out of his room and snatched it from her hands. She and Brenda retired to the sofa to giggle under their breaths about Jess and Leslie. Joyce Ann and May Belle were playing Barbie. Both parents were outside in the garden.

"Hi, Jess," Leslie's voice bubbled through the old telephone. "I had an idea. Howabout we go to Terabithia at night? It would be so cool. There's a full moon tonight and it's perfectly clear. We'd be able to see, and I'm sure we wouldn't get lost." Jess thought back to the night after she had been found in the creek. He had wanted to go to Terabithia at night. True, he was delusional and thought she was still alive despite what he parents told him, but he still wished they could've gone. And now she was offering the chance to live his dream.

"Sure. Uh, listen..." He looked around at his sisters, trying to gage whether or not they'd hear him make plans his parents would not approve of.

"Your sisters listening?"

"Yes, that's fine."

"Okay. You want to, right?"

"Of course. Leslie, I dreamed about this ever since..." His voice broke.

"I understand. Meet me at the bridge at midnight."

"I can't."

"You'll be asleep?"

"Mm hm."

"I'll come wake you up. Don't scream."

"What d'you think I am, a girl? Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."

"It's okay. Most parents raise their kids to think boys are better then girls. It's not your fault. See you tonight."

"Thanks. Bye." Jesse hung up the phone, excitement boiling in his stomach like a great dragon. He would get to go to Terabithia at night. He could barely concentrate on the book Leslie had given him to read. At dinner, he wolfed down the meal, barely tasting any of it. When he asked to go to bed early, his parents let him, thinking that the excitement of the day, though they didn't understand it, had tired him out. Jess couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned, thinking about Leslie and their plan.

When he finally fell asleep, his dreams were vivid and wild. He was racing Leslie through a dusty field of dead weeds. He looked back and saw her behind him. She grabbed his hand and hugged him as close as she could. Suddenly she disappeared, leaving Jesse alone in fog so thick he couldn't see a thing. "Leslie! Where are you?" he sobbed.

Her voice called back to him, faintly. "Jess!" It echoed all around, sounding like multiple Leslies were calling to him. A loud, high-pitched shriek sounded somewhere behind him. He sprinted towards it, tripping and falling into a river. As he fell, the fog cleared, giving him a glimpse of Leslie before she was washed away. He dove in after her, forgetting for the moment his fear of drowning. The water was raging and roaring, pulling him down through the freezing current. He opened his mouth to scream but it filled with muddy creek water. It stung his eyes and invaded his ears, pressing against his chest and causing his lungs to cry out in pain. He flailed his numb limbs, scrabbling for something to grab onto or stand on. But there was nothing, and when he looked down, all he saw was darkness. Then he was flying in the arms of an angel with feathery white wings and long golden hair, but with Leslie's face.

The angel dropped him off in a clearing ringed by tall pine trees. Out of the shadows stepped Leslie, dressed like a queen, with a halo instead of a crown. Her gown was silky and white, pearls sewn into the bodice and frothy lace tumbling out of the collar and sleeves. She had a flowing white cape tossed over her shoulder that flew along behind her. The breeze whispering through the trees blew her hair across her face. "Welcome to heaven, Jesse," she sang, beckoning him forward.

"It looks like Terabithia," he noted, feeling stupid.

"It is." Crowds of people, dressed in robes of silver and gold, gathered around, cheering. Jess noticed that they were all extraordinarily beautiful, slender and serene, with pointed ears and angular features. They had translucent wings that sparkled every color in the sunlight when they moved. "Come dance with me, great king."

He stepped towards her and clasped her hands, twirling her around. Her eyes were sparkling and her musical laugh sounded like trilling flutes. "I love you," he heard himself say. Leslie laughed again and leaned into him. He put his arms around her, and she beamed brilliantly.

"I love you too." She put her hands on his shoulders and shook him, whispering, "Wake up," into his ear.

"Leslie?" He blinked and opened his eyes. He was in his darkened room, with Leslie leaning over him. She put a finger to her lips and nodded toward the window he had left open to keep the house cool. They climbed through it, taking care not to wake May Belle or Jesse's parents. They ran across the dewy grass, under the bright light of the full moon. The bridge was washed with silver, as was the merrily trickling stream, so different from the deadly roaring creek. Jess and Leslie stood on the bridge for several long minutes before Leslie tugged his arm and pulled him into Terabithia. They danced through the shadows and the beams of moonlight until they reached the castle stronghold.

The silver showers of light seemed to move, dancing and bowing in a wild rhythm. To Jesse, it appeared that they formed into the shapes of people, lithe and graceful people, all singing in quiet, musical voices. "The Terabithians have come to welcome us," intoned Leslie. They meandered in between the trees and the jubilant Terabithians, laughing and drinking in the scene, lit by the swirling moonlit figures. At last they arrived at the edge of the sacred grove. "This is an occasion of great joy for our kingdom. Let us properly thank the great spirits for the return of us, thy monarchs." She strode forwards, solemn now, with her complete happiness still shining on her face. Inside the sacred groves there were no dancing figures, but the whole ground was gilded silver under the silent pines. Leslie knelt, Jess doing the same beside her. "Hear our heartfelt gratitude, o great spirits." She elbowed Jesse.

"Yes, thou spirits. We are most thankful for um, thy allowance of our return and uh, keeping the kingdom safe in our absence."

"We are in thy eternal debt for the protection and magic thou hast bestowed upon our kingdom. Thou hast done much for us and we shall strive to repay thee." She bowed her head and stood. "Come, my king. We must rejoin our subjects in their celebrations." As they back out of the sacred grove, Jesse thought he saw a swath of silver mist, floating above them like a spirit, but when he looked back, it was gone. _I'm just imagining things_, he told himself.

The rest of the night passed like a blur of dancing and moonlight and joy. The king and queen wandered through every corner of their kingdom, finding things they never would've noticed during the day. There were hollow trees that were home to squirrels or owls, hidden alcoves behind fallen trees or in clusters of bushes, and trees that had branches perfect for climbing, from which Jess could see the whole forest. It was in one of these trees that Jesse first noticed the subtle pink of dawn creeping up over the horizon, signaling the end of the magical night.

They dashed across the bridge back into the "real world" just as the sun began its steep trek up the sky. Leslie let herself into her own house, and Jesse climbed back through the window. Everyone was still asleep, and Jess grabbed a few more minutes before his mother told him to wake up and milk the cow. When he stumbled out to the shed, still reliving his sleepless night, he received another shock. Leslie was waiting for him outside.

"Lord, Leslie. Why'd you have to scare me like that?" She shrugged and followed him inside the shed. Miss Bessie mooed her welcome. "But Leslie, I have to ask you something. Did last night really happen? And where there really Terabithians welcoming us, or did I just imagine that?"

"Jesse!" she reproached. "Of course last night really happened. It wasn't just a dream. And we could've both been hallucinating, but I saw them too."

"Thank you. I thought I was going crazy or something."

Leslie shoved him playfully. "No, you're not going crazy. You are my king of Terabithia. Remember that."

And to that Jesse thought, _As you are my queen._


End file.
